Children of the Mount
by DragonGyrl
Summary: Three halfdits, immortal, shape-shifting children of a deity and a Mortal, pretend to be Mortal children, blending in. Then something happens that changes their world forever.
1. Chapter 1: Alyceny

_Disclaimer: Anything you see here, I don't own. Well, except for the story, but that doesn't count. Enjoy!_

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**Children of the Mount**

_By Rachel, Joanna, and Joshua_

Chapter I: Alyceny

'Tessa'--my Mortal alter ego--sat in social studies class, barely paying attention to her teacher. As always, my senses were on high alert for anything unusual—and trust me, unusual is a pretty big word.

"Miss Shasena?" the teacher, Miss Lakira, asked.

"Spices," 'Tessa' replied. I could read Miss Lakira's mind so easily—it was like an overused sponge, already full of holes, but worn down and torn up, too.

I looked at my best friend, 'Roxanne'. She was bored too.

Then I looked over at 'Cole', who sat on the other side of the room. He was quiet, letting me into his thoughts without protest. He knew I was reading them.

_Curse this freaking class to the fiery pits of Hades!_ he grumbled to me internally. I snorted.

Hopefully he was reading my impulses just then (and if I was reading his mind correctly, he was), because I was agreeing with him wholeheartedly. At least Algebra 1 was a touch more interesting.

Miss Lakira dismissed the class, and my two friends and I all met at the door.

Glad to be able to shed our Mortal personas for about five minutes while we switched classes, we started to talk.

"Bolty," I said, using 'Roxanne's' shortened real name, "What is going on?"

"Yeah," said Jasper, AKA Cole. "Your impulses have been fluctuating between dark gray, blue, and green for almost a week now."

"Seriously?" she replied. "I thought I was blocking those."

"You can't block feelings," Jasper replied. Bolty stuck her tongue out at him. In reply, he said, "Na nah na nah na na!"

I rolled my eyes. Jasper could be so obnoxious sometimes. "But you can block thoughts," I added, trying to spare some of my friend's feelings.

She gave me a withering look. "Well, duh, Aly. Except I can't block _you_."

"I know. And _I_ can't block _you_. Which really sucks sometimes."

"Yeah, but thank the gods that we can help each other out."

I nodded. "Sometimes having a mind connection isn't such a bad thing."

We were almost to math. Algebra 1 was probably the most interesting class on our schedule, even though Bolty and I had been through it about…oh, I dunno, probably around 500 times. I didn't know about Jasper, but I did know that he was a century or two younger than me.

You might be thinking that we're vampires. Well, you're wrong.


	2. Chapter 2: Thunderbolta

Chapter II: Thunderbolta

I tried to control my emotions, knowing that Jasper would read them. But the anxiety and anguish rose. My whole being was probably painted dark gray and black, to him.

I saw him blink slightly as my emotions swamped his special sense. Good. Let him see. Let him see, that freaking boy demigod who's never loved someone in his life. Let him see my worry that…I swore in my head.

Aly jumped. Our minds were intertwined, and anything I thought, she heard, and vice versa.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern layering her voice.

"No," I sighed as we walked in the doors of our math classroom. I couldn't hide it now, with Jasper trying to get through the mind barrier I'd put up. Him trying to get through that mind barrier, since Aly was helping me, was like a little Mortal child trying to break a pair of steel doors, one after the other, with a stick. "Will's in trouble." I'd spare him the details.

"What?!" Aly gasped. But before she (or Jasper, for that matter) could rattle off any questions, our math teacher, Mr. Copleinder, walked in, holding a fat stack of colorful papers.

"Great," Jasper muttered as he slunk to his seat. "Exam time." Aly and I could both hear him thinking, _Not another one of these stupid Mortal tests!_

"Tell me everything," Aly hissed at me as she sat down. I rolled my eyes and thought, _Sure, whatev_. Mr. Copleinder began passing out tests.

Thoughts of Will filled my mind. Will has lived as long as I have, give or take a year. Or two. We had met at a summer camp, and things had gone from there. Now he and I were engaged.

But now he was gone, off on a quest somewhere. Sometimes I could feel his emotions, hear his thoughts, and—if I was lucky—see what he was doing. The last time that happened, Will had been fighting a monster, and he had thought, _Gods above, please…_

_Wow_, Aly thought. _I wonder if—_

But she was cut off as Will's emotions washed over me. Pain overrode everything.

His thoughts came a second later.

_No,_ he thought. _Please, Father, let me live, let me see Thunderbolta again…_

"Roxanne?" Mr. Copleinder's voice broke through the vision. He was kneeling beside me. I realized that my fists were clenched, and I was shaking. Tears threatened to create a miniature Angel Falls on my face.

Aly was on my other side, her face a concerned mask. She had seen—and heard—everything.

"I need some air," I croaked. Mr. Copleinder thought it was just nerves about the exam. He was probably the smartest Mortal I knew, but still…he was just a Mortal.

"Sure," he said, and I jumped up. Barely holding on to my calm composure, I walked out to the door, and pushed my way into the cold winter air.

"Will," I murmured. "Zeus, help him."

I knew he would answer. I was a half-dit, short for half-deity. I was the daughter of the Greek god Poseidon. Alyceny and Jaspaquillion were half-dits, too. So was my Will…

Why would Will be pleading to Hades?


	3. Chapter 3: Jaspaquillion

Chapter III: Jaspaquillion

I was instantly worried when Bolty's impulses turned from dark gray to blue. Oh great. But then I detected a faint spot of pink. Loving and caring? That can't be right. Could it mean loved ones? And with the dark gray and blue?

"Oh, no," I muttered. But now I faced a problem. It would be creepy to go over to her. I mean, after all, she's a girl. I pondered for a minute.

I'll think helpful thoughts, I decided, and hope she reads my mind. It's not much but it's all I can do.

Bending over my exam, I began mindlessly going through the questions. This was probably the 15th time I'd taken this thing since 1955!

I hated these exams. And not just because I'd taken them a hundred times. It was because I had to get questions wrong ON PURPOSE! Just so I could appear 'normal.' Is it not enough to take them repeatedly?

I kept thinking helpful thoughts, and left my mind barrier down. Eventually Bolty came back in after her breath of fresh air. Aly was sending me looks. Her impulses were flecked with yellow, also being brown and dark gray. She was worried, confused AND understanding. How could you be confused and yet understand things at the same time?

Just before class ended, I heard Aly gasp. Looking over at them—thank goodness the rest of the class just glanced over and went back to work—I was just in time to see an involuntary shudder run through Bolty.

I immediately put up my mind barrier without even reading their impulses. Unfortunately, it was still really weak. The only intruders in my mind that I'd ever had in my life were Bolty and Aly.

Almost as soon as the flimsy barrier was put up, someone—not Bolty, and definitely not Aly—was trying to get in.

I nearly swore.

_Jeez, that's_— the person trying to hack into my mind thought, before cutting themselves off and getting out of my head. But I only had to hear one word. Now I could track them. My dad, Apollo, had taught me how to do that.

Mr. Copleinder announced the end of class and collected our exams. We all headed out to our next class.


	4. Chapter 4: Alyceny

Chapter IV: Alyceny

My next class went by quickly. I barely paid attention, though. It was like there was another halfdit here!

Whoever it was, they had tried to freaking _torture_ me! It had worked—to a point. The person had wanted to break into my head, and they tried to torture me to do so. Bolty had felt it, too (duh). That person—I think it was a halfdit—obviously had not counted on a double-thick mind shield. Bolty had felt it, since our minds were connected, and then rushed to help. And if she hadn't, the intruder probably would've gotten in to my head, and, since they got into mine, they would've gotten Bolty's too, free of charge.

As I sat down in my last period, study hall, next to Jasper, I began to whisper furiously to him. He nodded as I explained what happened.

Then he dropped a bomb.

"Yeah, someone tried to get into my mind, too." He then proceeded to explain everything in explicit detail.

"Jasper," I interrupted, just as he began droning about his (wimpy) blocker, "Can you track them?"

"Huh?" he said, looking at me for the first time.

I spoke to him like a small child. "This person, Jasper. The one that tried to break into our minds."

He stuck his tongue out at me. "Yes? What about them?"

"Can you track them?" I asked, going back to my normal, more businesslike, tone of voice.

"Oh. Yeah."

"Well, that's good. I don't like this one bit."

Just then Bolty passed me a note. Well, more correctly, she passed Jasper a note with my name on it, and he passed it to me.

**Aly,** it said,

**Will's in trouble. I'm going to go help him. Meet you in Fiji at 9 o'clock tonight?**

I half-smiled as I said my response into her mind.

_Yeah, I'll come. I was going to Fiji anyways, remember? Should we bring Jasp?_

**No. Too much trouble**, she replied in my head.

_I have to agree. He's going to be working on what was torturing us._

**Good.**

By now it was almost time for stupid Mortal school to be done, thank the gods. I said to Bolty, See you tonight!

She grinned, giving me a pearly smile. **Thanks**, she muttered.

_No prob_, I replied, gathering my books and rushing out the door. Soon it would be time to go on another unofficial quest.


	5. Chapter 5: Jaspaquillion

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a really romantic chapter. So if you are averse to those, don't read it. Nothing inappropriate, though. :)_

Chapter V: Jaspaquillion

I watched as Aly and Bolty sat there, their whole beings coated in brown and tan. Uggh. I hated when they did that! It was like they tuned me out or didn't want me to hear.

As they mind-jabbered on, my mind drifted to Jivera. She was mine—we'd been going steady for about ten years. My beautiful halfdit Jivera.

We'd met in Paris about 15 years ago. We were both on quests—I was searching for a Minotaur offspring, she a traitor to her family. We actually met because we were going down in the same elevator from the top of the Eiffel Tower. I thought that everyone in the elevator was Mortal (indicated by the presence of dark purple on their impulse field) until I looked at her. Her field was a mix of yellow, tan, and lilac at first glance. But then I looked closer, and detected a teensy-weensy, itsy-bitsy smidgen of pink in a far corner of her field. Only then did I realize that there were no signs of Mortal eggplant on her field.

I looked at her face. Her shimmering emerald eyes bore into mine, and her soft-looking, curvy, frosting-pink lips slid into a knowing smile. Perhaps she could read impulses, too!

I unwittingly smiled back. My throat was dry, like I hadn't had a drink for an entire day, and I felt like some Ares kid had come up and socked me in the stomach so hard that I lost my breath. I couldn't even read her impulses.

Just then, the elevator doors opened.

The girl looked at me. I still couldn't read her impulses. Her long, blonde hair shimmered in the sun. She walked over to me. I thought she was going to say something, but instead, she slid her hand into the right pocket of my Levi jeans and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

I was sure she could feel the heat that doused my face as she quickly pulled away, sliding her warm hand out of my pocket. Her platinum blonde hair blew slightly as she hurried away. She never even looked back.

I still remember that kiss. Her lips were soft, like a blanket on a cold day. They had gently brushed the center of my cheek. Her perfume was delicious, and had no known scent that I could name. It was like…I don't even know how to describe it. There are no words that I know of that could name that scent. Sweet. Delectable.

I would've kissed her back, but she pulled away too quickly.

I reached into my pocket to see if there was a reason she stuck her hand in it. I felt a piece of paper in there. Normally, I keep my pockets free of just about everything, so this must have been what she was putting in there.

Gently, I tugged the paper out of my pocket, still searching for her. But her long blonde hair, her slender figure, her unnamed, unmistakable scent had all vanished.

Looking down, I saw that the paper was just a scrap of a full sheet, obviously torn hastily off of something.

There was only one thing written on it, in pale pink ink.

A phone number.

-

I stared. It was just a phone number…but I fervently hoped that it was hers.

I ran back to my hotel room and dialed the number written on the scrap. _Brrrrinng! Brrrrinng! Brrrinng! _There was no answer.

-

I tried again, day after day, month upon month, for five long years.

I thought I knew why she never picked up, not once. I could picture her with another guy, one far more handsome than myself, who she flung herself upon when she got home. Aly and Bolty got sick of my depression after a while, and started hanging out, just the two of them.

Despite everything, I was loyal to her. I called that phone number at least once, if not twice or more, every day, for all five of those years.

By the time I went to a camp created especially for halfdits that fifth summer, I knew that I had a gigantic crush on her. I also knew that I should get over her. But I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried, get the scent that she left with me out of my head, the silky softness of her pouty lips, the gentleness of her kiss.

I was at the Quest Assignment Ceremony with the rest of Apollo's kids. I listened intently for my name. Finally, I heard it.

"Jaspaquillion, son of Apollo, and Jivera, daughter of Aphrodite—Quest 234."

A daughter of Aphrodite. This would be interesting.

As I stood to meet my partner, I could've sworn she looked an awful lot like someone I'd met a long time ago, but forgotten since…

We walked toward the side aisle. As she came closer, my eyes widened. But I didn't say anything. Oh no. You see, I wasn't _positive_ yet.

The two of us strolled out into the momentarily blinding, bright sunlight. I looked at her, and shock overtook every sense in my body. The long, soft, shimmering, platinum blonde hair. The green eyes, sparkling, two jewels in her oval face. Her lips—soft, lush, carnation pink, and curved into a gentle smile.

I moved a little closer to her, inhaling deeply. There it was—her delectable smell. I could name it more accurately now. It seemed to be a blend of summer strawberries, Florida peaches, and ripe lemons. I smiled. She tilted her head slightly to the side and beamed.

"It's been too long," I murmured, taking a step closer.

"Yes," she whispered, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Five years is a long time."

I was going to lean down and kiss her when about six other people came out of the auditorium. Swearing mentally, I looked at her impulses. I could barely read them. From what little I could see, there was a lot of pink, splotched with lilac and a bit of gold. At least I wasn't the only one annoyed at being interrupted.

It was only then that I noticed her arms weren't around my throat anymore. She stood right in front of me instead.

"We can continue later," she whispered, wrapping her arms around me and giving me a hug, as well as a tantalizingly brief whiff of her perfume.

"See you on the quest," I replied, hugging her tightly.

She bounded away.

-

The next morning, I was up before the sunrise to pack my things and get going on the quest I had with Jivera.

She was waiting for me with a backpack crammed full of things.

I raised an eyebrow. "We aren't going to be gone for _that_ long."

"Trust me when I say it will be long enough," she said, wrapping her arms around my waist.

I tried to read her impulses, but I couldn't. She had a lot more of an influence on me than I thought.

Oh yeah, I remembered. Jivera, daughter of Aphrodite. The crammed bookbag made more sense now.

"It's okay, Jaspaquillion," she murmured, pressing against me. I realized that I was shaking.

"Jasper," I corrected automatically. She had me totally at her mercy. Shoot. But I felt like I was floating, floating high above even the gods. It was a wonderful sensation.

"Jasper," she repeated. I loved the way she said it. I slid my arms around her, and her glorious jade eyes locked on my simple brown ones.

For the first time ever, I noticed what she was wearing—a white, elegant, simple long-sleeved sweater, black slacks, and a headband of sweet-smelling flowers in her delicate hair.

"You are so beautiful," I whispered, pulling her as close to me as possible.

"Thank you," she breathed back. Her mouthwatering perfume sent me to the edge of intoxication.

I looked around. No one else was up yet, and the sun was just beginning to rise, Helios ready to make his daily journey across the sky. The whole atmosphere was bathing in pink and orange.

Jivera slid her backpack off. I took a deep breath, and bent my head towards her.

Our lips met, and my heart seemed to grow, beating faster and faster, inflating, until it filled my ribs, slamming against them, causing my breath to come in diced chokes.

"Oh, Jivera," I gasped as we broke apart. "I'm sorry, I've never kissed a girl my age before, I must be really terrible."

"No, Jasper," she whispered, kissing the base of my throat. "In fact, you're quite good." She abruptly grinned at me, pulling back. "Do you practice on your mother?"

I laughed. "No." It was such a strange joke, but somehow hilarious. Maybe it was just the way she said it.

I pulled her back to me, kissing her soft cheek, her tiny nose, and finally, her beautiful, rosy, ripe lips. My mouth slid over hers, and my arms placed themselves behind her neck. I could feel her pulling at my body, her hands digging into my back, demanding more. I gave her all I had.

I sighed as we broke apart. "Well, better get going, I guess."

"I guess," she replied, grabbing her backpack. I carefully would my fingers through hers as we walked out of the camp, the sun just getting positioned in the sky.

-

The next morning, Jivera crept over to me. I was watching the sunrise.

As soon as I saw her, I smiled, holding my arms out. She plopped down right on my lap, kissing my hand.

I replied by kissing her mouth. She pressed on mine hard.

I could feel her hands knotted on my shoulders, and I had one hand in her blonde hair and one on her back. I could feel her chest against mine, soft, perfect. My being was pressed against hers.

After we had finished kissing, I asked, "Jivera, will you be my girlfriend?" Of course, she said yes.

-

"Jasper! JASPER!" Aly's voice broke my reminiscing.

"Hmm?" I said distractedly.

"It's time to go, dunce!"

"Oh. Okay."

"See you tomorrow!"

I gathered up my things and exited the classroom, my thoughts still dwelling on my girlfriend.


	6. Chapter 6: Thunderbolta

Chapter VI: Thunderbolta

"Father?" I called, racing down the coral-encrusted halls of the sea palace. My long red hair streamed behind me as I ran. Seeing a light at the end of the long corridor, I made my way toward it.

The fine seashell doorknob was unlocked, but I knocked anyway.

"Come in," my father's voice boomed. I twisted the carved doorknob and entered the well-lit room.

Poseidon, the sea god, sat at a wooden desk. From the weathered pattern of the wood, it was probably made from a shipwreck.

"Ah, here's my little lightning bolt," he murmured. I sighed; too much time with Dionysus, I think.

"Father," I said, "I'm heading out." These days, he'd never allowed me out of the palace, except to go to school.

"Sure, sure," he muttered drunkenly. In his hand was a cup of wine. I left quickly, knowing he might start yelling. Gods above, he'd been drinking ever so much since my mother died.

I ran for the courtyard. Carefully, I opened the airlock, stepped in, and closed it behind me. Technology at its best. I opened the other door that led out into the courtyard.

The water hit me like a wall. I thought of a bottlenose dolphin, and then surged upward into the darkening water. The shift happened instantaneously. I was soon speeding off to Fiji.

You shouldn't go off like that, a voice muttered in my head.

**I wasn't lying to him!** I screeched. I hated it when Aly was really into her "no rule breaking" mode.

Sorry, she huffed.

I growled, **Are we doing this or not?**

Sure. I'm just waiting for you, slowpoke.

I launched out of the water, doing a complete somersault, and landed on my human feet in the warm, soft sand of Fiji's beach.

"Slowpoke," I muttered. "Gods, Aly, you're slower than I am."

"Sure, sure," she said, laughter obvious in her tone.

I scowled, and she stopped her merriment.

"Oh," she whispered, seeing my father in my head.

"It's worse," I replied, sighing. "It was bad enough Mom died, without him going off drunk."

"No wonder there's been so many storms and hurricanes," she muttered to herself. I laughed bitterly.

"Let's get this show on the road," I said, shaking off my black mood. I told Aly where I thought we should look first. She handed me a piece of paper.

"I hid our weapons," she said in explanation. "We might want to pick them up."

"Good idea." I rapidly memorized the paper and handed it back to her. She tore it up into little pieces and swallowed them. I jumped back into the sea.

**We're coming, Will, love, **I thought. **We're coming.**


End file.
